Blog 29

29 SEPT 2022

Day 3-Extrusion

I had already created some basic elements I was planning to use for the jewellery design, so my instructor agreed to teach me a more advanced method I could possibly use to create this. This was technically not a beginners project so it was harder than imagined, even with my mental preparation. 

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This new method involved using a syringe filled with slightly more watery clay, which would result in a more precise end result. I started by tracing out the design in the size I wanted on tracing paper, then placing a clear piece of plastic and extruding clay over the top. It was kind of like icing cakes, except on a smaller scale. 

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My first layer was, as expected, shaky and not very good, but I hadn’t expected to be perfect so I just went with it. By the time I got to the third layer, the results were much better, but not as perfect as I had intended. Still, I was determined not to be discouraged and figured I could fix things once it dried. I was mistaken and broke a significant part of the wing off, which I was slightly panicked by. I decided to still be optimistic and insisted to myself I could learn from this, even though I beginning to be kind of doubtful. 

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I ended up fixing it, but pretty badly as it broke several times during and after drying. I decided the piece was too fragile to fix, so I fired it first, and then tried to fix it by sanding it down. When it first came out, it was really ugly. After a lot of sanding and grinding, I got it down to something better. The instructor helped to widen the holes and perfect its final shape, getting it down to a far better result. Still, I didn’t like it that much until I polished it. 

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Day 4-Ring

For my final project, I decided to make a ring. The thicker the width of the ring, the more it shrinks, so I sized the ring up 3 sizes to be safe. To make a ring shape, I had to roll out the clay into a thin cylinder. However, The type of wavy design I wanted to achieve needed to be more organic-looking, so I tried a new method of putting clay into a syringe and pushing it out. This created a long thin line that I could drape over the ring stick to create a base. 

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I then used another syringe with more watery clay to create droplet designs over the top, smoothening it out with a wet brush. I got a design I was happy with and dried it with a hairdryer as it was too delicate to remove from the ring stick. I broke it again as I was sanding it down, and after fixing it, decided to fire it before attempting to fix it again. The final result wasn’t that great, but I think I learned alot from having laboured over this for two days. 

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The ring ended up shrinking down 2 sizes instead of three, so the end result is slightly larger than anticipated. Still, while I don’t like how it turned out, I am proud of the work that I did. I think I demonstrated alot more patience making the ring, and I had to keep drying the piece over and over before going back in to add more details. 

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The last two projects were tougher and more labour-intensive than I anticipated. I did enjoy picking up a new skill though, and my interest in jewellery motivated me to keep trying. I did find that I was getting used to working with the material which encouraged me. I broke up the whole process into several small goals so I could achieve them, take a short break (dry the piece), and start again. I was also a lot better at recognising when I wasn’t thinking straight due to frustration, and forced myself to go let a piece dry so I could clear my head. 

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Overall, I do think I could have learned everything there is to know online, but through the whole experience, I actually find that its better to learn in real life. I couldn't really find in-depth tutorials on Youtube and there were a lot of practical things and situational questions I could ask. I also discovered things I wasn't able to reading up beforehand, such as the specific material I proposed working with for the project needing a kiln to fire instead of heat. I made alot of mistakes which was annoying but also meant I got really good at repairing things.